


still i call it magic

by bugmadoo



Series: Robron Week 2017 [4]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Handholding, Hogwarts Professors, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 21:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10051364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugmadoo/pseuds/bugmadoo
Summary: It's a day in the life of Professor Sugden at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Robron Week Day 4: Different Worlds  
> Title from Magic by Coldplay
> 
> I'm really really excited about this one so I hope you enjoy it! As always thanks to [Ellie](http://turnerkanes.tumblr.com) for being the best cheerleader and thanks to [Millie](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com) for the encouragement!

Robert wakes gradually and slowly, feeling warm and drowsy and entirely unwilling to move any time soon. His eyes almost feel like someone has charmed them shut with how heavy they feel and Robert thinks this could be a problem until he remembers that it’s Saturday and he doesn’t have to get up just yet.

He decides not to fight the battle with his eyelids just yet and instead stretches out his arm to the to the other side of the bed. He’s hoping to find Aaron’s skin, or if not then maybe some residual warmth, but the sheets are cold and crumpled. Sighing, he feels a pang of regret at the fact that Aaron is already gone and left without a goodbye, but he doesn’t dwell on it. When Aaron had told him last night that he’d have to wake early to take care of some problem in the Forbidden Forest, Robert had joked that there was no way he’d sacrifice sleep on a Saturday morning, but Robert hadn’t mean it as seriously as Aaron must have taken it.

Feeling more awake now, Robert shrugs it off and opens his eyes. It’s the brightness that first hits him and he ends up blinking furiously against the light, his eyes filling with more tear fluid than they can take and spilling over. He rubs his eyes until he sees stars dance behind his eyelids, then he drops his arms back down on the mattress and wills himself to move.

The next time Robert opens his eyes it’s only half as bad as before. It’s still bright, if not even brighter than before and he rubs his eyes again, sits up, and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. The floor is cold under his feet, almost unbearably so, and Robert mumbles a short heating spell to warm it up until he’s had a shower and got dressed. After standing up and stretching his muscles for a moment, he walks to the window of his quarter’s bedroom and now the brightness makes sense.

The Hogwarts grounds are covered in a thick white layer of snow for as far as Robert can see. The trees of the Forbidden Forest look as if someone drizzled powdered sugar on top of them, the white branches in dark contrast to the ground below the trees where they’re growing dense enough that the ground is still dark and free of snow. The whole stretch of land from the Forest back to the castle and towards the frozen surface of the lake is one carpet of untouched snow and Robert is almost glad he woke up so early if it means he gets to see this. The view is enchanting and despite growing up with magic all around him the few stray snowflakes swirling around in front of his window are charming in both senses of the word.

His first thought is about how much Aaron is going to love the fluffy white and the colder temperatures. Robert distinctly remembers the previous year when it turned March and the Hogwarts grounds were still the same bleak green and brown they had been the entire winter. Aaron had scowled for a whole week and it took considerable effort on Robert’s part to make it disappear again. The memory makes him smirk and he blinks a few times, tearing his gaze away from the picturesque landscape and the thought of Aaron.

Robert turns around and puts on boxers and loose pajama bottoms since he’s not planning on leaving his chambers in the near future. Before he can grab a fresh t-shirt, he hears a dull meow through the wooden door of his bedroom. It’s no wonder Misty is complaining since Robert usually leaves the door open at night so she can come and go as she pleases. The only exception are nights that Aaron sleeps over since Robert might love his cat, but he’s not particularly interested in letting her watch what Aaron and him get up to.

He opens the door and sure enough, his dark grey cat is sitting on the door step, looking up at Robert with wide blue eyes. She meows in displeasure of having been locked out and Robert crouches down to scratch her behind the ears. As soon as he touches her he feels and hears her purr happily and Robert thinks he might already be forgiven for the night before. When she bumps her nose against Robert’s hand again and again, he finally picks her up, her fur warm and soft against the bare skin of his torso, her tail stroking back and forth over the skin of his stomach.

“Morning, Miss,” Robert says, running his hand over her back as he makes his way across the living room and towards the little kitchenette. Misty nuzzles her head against Robert’s neck and he almost sighs because it’s a sure sign that he is forgiven for last night.

While the kitchen nook is equipped rather sparsely, it’s one of the luxuries of a teachers’ chamber at Hogwarts and it’s enough to make the odd meal or two if Robert is in a hurry and doesn’t want to go all the way to the Great Hall. His chambers are located down a corridor from his Potions classroom in the dungeons, and even though Aaron makes fun of him for it all the time, sometimes it’s far enough that Robert can’t be bothered to walk all the way up.

Robert secures a happily purring Misty in one arm when he reaches the counter so that he has one hand free to make his tea, and starts his morning routine. He grabs a mug out of the cabinet, then gets the milk that he keeps under a Cooling Charm, a tea bag and mumbles a quick spell to boil the water in the kettle that Aaron got him last Christmas.

Even though the Muggle way of doing his tea in the morning takes a lot more time than a quick spell would, he likes it like this. Robert doesn’t know if it’s only imagination or not but ever since Aaron made him his first cup of tea the Muggle way, the quick spell version of his tea just doesn’t taste as good. Robert can’t tell if it’s because of the way the tea is made or if it’s because of the person who made it.

He still distinctly remembers the morning he watched Aaron make tea for the two of them the Muggle way for the first time. Until that moment it never occurred to him that growing up with a Muggle father would mean that Aaron would be used to making some things differently especially since the other half of his family is one of the biggest wizarding families in Britain. In contrary to Aaron, Robert has been surrounded by magic and wizards for as long as he can think and his first thought is usually to use a spell or a charm for all of life’s little problems. Being with Aaron had changed Robert’s awareness for how much he uses magic for the little things. He feels caught off guard every time he sees Aaron do something without magic and it’s always followed by the pressure of fondness against the back of his breastbone.

When his cup of tea is done he contemplates putting Misty down and enjoying his cup of tea with both hands but when Robert loosens his grip on her to let her down, she briefly digs her claws into his shoulder in warning. He hisses, more in surprise than pain, but he gets the message and strokes her back with his free hand before grabbing his cup and walking over to his sofa. That a cat would one day have wrapped him around her little claw like this was not something Robert ever expected to happen, but then again his life has a habit of throwing a lot of surprises his way.

Sitting on the sofa, drinking tea, and petting his cat curled up in his lap, Robert closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, feeling the warmth all around him. Memories of the night before play on his mind and they’re a symphony of Aaron. He lets them fill all corners of his mind, the feeling of Aaron’s muscles contracting under Robert’s hands, his beard rubbing against the insides of Robert’s thighs, the smell of the curve between Aaron’s neck and shoulder. Robert remembers the moonlight throwing shadows over their skin, remembers the charmed candles floating around the bed, the pillow that landed on the floor because there is never enough space for what exists between them.

A meow and a nudge of a cold nose against his hand is what breaks Robert out of his thoughts and with a look down he realizes he was so deep in thought that he stopped petting Misty. He obediently scratches her under her chin and behind her ears before running his hand over her back again and picking up his earlier ministration. He takes another sip of his tea and exhales slowly.

This time around, his thoughts inevitably wander to all the rather unpleasant things he has to get done this weekend. There are several stacks of essays from different years he has to grade, he is in charge of overseeing the patrols by the prefects and the headboy and headgirl, as well as patrolling the castle himself, and lastly he still needs to brew new Dreamless Sleep potion for the hospital wing.

He decides to distract himself from his tasks by thinking about when Aaron and him can get a repeat performance of last night, and when he thinks of the snow outside it gives him an idea, his brain already whirring with possibilities. He finishes his tea and a smile creeps up his lips.

Being a professor at Hogwarts gives both of them the freedom to come and go to Hogsmeade as they please and it’s a freedom Robert plans on taking full advantage of today. He takes his wand out of the pocket of his pajama pants, conjures a small piece of parchment, and asks Aaron to meet him after lunch. Then he folds it into his best version of a paper plane and sends it off as a memo with a wave of his wand.

There are times that Robert is convinced that his cat can actually read his mind and now is one of those moments when Misty gets up just as he’s contemplating how to stand up without summoning her wrath. She stretches while still standing on Robert’s thighs, and he runs his hand down her back one last time before she pats down on the sofa and then jumps down on the floor. She looks up at him when he follows her and Robert already knows it means that it’s going to be one of those days where she barely lets him out of her sight. It’s comforting in a way he never thought it could be before the day that Vic had taken him to Diagon Alley to get him a cat so he would have something familiar to take with him when he took the position as Hogwarts’ Potions Master.

Robert thinks that Aaron most definitely has a point when he says that Misty has got him wrapped around her little finger, but Robert will never admit to that.

He makes a dash to his bedroom to grab a sweater, Misty pacing in front of the doorstep, watching him, and then together they walk through the door behind the sofa which leads to Robert’s office. There are two other doors there, one leading to his classroom and the other out to the hall, and Robert checks if both are still locked like he’d left them. Even though Robert has a reliably working alarm spell in place, it’s a habit he can’t seem to shake. When everything seems in order, he turns back to his desk and finds Misty curled up in her designated corner, her head resting on top of her paws, but her eyes following his movements around the room.

He sits down on the chair at his desk and pulls a pile of essays from the first year Gryffindors about Belladonna and all its uses towards him, hoping he can get through all of them before he meets Aaron since they shouldn’t be too complicated. His enthusiasm is quickly squashed, however, when the first essay is about the wrong plant and the second one is riddled with typos that are so bad Robert has trouble understanding what it’s supposed to say.

Robert puts down his feather, gritting his teeth before taking a deep breath. He mumbles _thank Merlin_ when the third essay turns out to be not only written well but also well-researched. It’s the kind of work that reminds him why he became a teacher in the first place. It hadn’t ever been a part of his plan, but after he once again managed to make a mess of things across the board from his private life and his career, he hadn’t hesitated for long when the offer came. As much as he sometimes felt as if he could strangle some of his students, he’d found it surprisingly rewarding to watch them grow over time and at the end of his first year he’d decided to stay. And then he’d met Aaron.

It surprises Robert every time how quickly time passes when he’s grading essays, but thanks to waking up early, he only has two of them left when noon approaches. He leans back in his chair, stretching his hands and taking a deep breath. At the sound, his seemingly sleeping cat opens her eyes, looking unimpressed at him, her tail brushing over the papers on Robert’s desk.

“Yeah, I know I’m not done yet, but I don’t want to leave Aaron waiting,” Robert says, leaning his elbows on the wood of the desk.

At the mention of Aaron’s name, Misty raises her head as if expecting Aaron to Apparate into the room. When he doesn’t she looks back at Robert and he thinks she almost looks accusing.

“I’m sorry?” Misty turns her head and pointedly starts licking the fur of her paws. Robert sighs.

He pushes his chair back, gets up, and takes his wand out of his pocket. He swings it and the papers he already read rise in the air, sort themselves by surnames of the students that wrote them, and one by one they fly into the top desk drawer, neatly stacked.

“Miss, you coming?” Robert asks as he turns to leave, but Misty only blinks at him lazily before closing her eyes and settling back down.

Robert leaves the door open behind him and walks into his bedroom to put on his robes. He changes quickly and locks the main door with a spell a quick _Alohomora_ can’t break, and makes his way to the Great Hall. The castle is bustling with activity, just like it is every Saturday. Students pass him in the hallway and greet him with a _Hello Professor Sugden_ while others pretend he isn’t there and keep their heads down. His steps echo around the hall as he turns a corner. The corridor that leads from the Slytherin common room to the grand staircase is crowded like it rarely ever is and Robert narrows his eyes in suspicion. Students who see him coming whisper and turn away hurriedly, the crowd parting for him and he thinks he heard footsteps rapid enough that some of them must be running. It turns out that Robert walked into a duel between two first years and he very reluctantly takes fifty house points for either of the two Slytherins and gives them a week’s detention.

When he walks past the Great Hall he checks the hour glasses filled with the house points. He’d deny the sigh of relief when he sees that Slytherin is still leading in the house cup later, but for now, a private smile steals his lips as he keeps walking.

He finds Aaron right outside the Grand Entrance, standing on the dark stony stairs that lead to the castle grounds that stand in a stark contrast to the white snow around them. Robert wants to rush towards him, wants to hug and kiss and hold on tight, but he knows this is not the time or place. The fact that Aaron greets him with a wide smile when Robert reaches him almost makes up for it, though.

“You ready?” Robert asks, stopping on the stair above.

“For what exactly? Your weird memo didn’t say anything.”

“Weird memo? I see, you still don’t appreciate the practicality of my messages.”

“Next time just send me an owl like a normal person, Robert.” Aaron shakes his head and looks at the floor.

“I live in the dungeons, Aaron, do you know how far away the owlery is?”

“Well, that’s your fault then for being a Slytherin, innit?”

Robert is about to protest but then Aaron’s eyes start positively glinting with mischief and Robert smiles instead. It’s an age-old argument between them that’s never really as serious as they both like to pretend.

“You are such a wind-up,” Robert says, bumping his shoulder into Aaron’s. “Let’s go.”

Aaron grins as he follows Robert down the last of the stairs and into the courtyard. They take a turn left and start their trek to the village.

The small road leading to Hogsmeade has been cleared of snow in the morning, but they might as well have left it lie since Aaron walks beside the road in the fresh snow that’s a handful of inches thick. His hands are in the pocket of his coat and for a moment Robert worries about Aaron falling over before he can catch himself with his hands, but he shakes his head of the thought as he convinces himself that Aaron is an adult and knows what he’s doing. It’s not hard to do when Robert sees the child-like glee on Aaron’s face as he kicks through the snow and checks to see the footprints he left behind him. Robert really doesn’t understand Aaron’s feelings towards snow and winter in general but if this is the look it causes on Aaron’s face, then Robert hopes the snow is going to stay all year round.

As soon as they’re out of sight from the castle, Robert reaches into Aaron’s coat pocket and takes Aaron’s hand, slotting their fingers together. Aaron shoots him a smile and bumps his shoulder into Robert’s, gripping his hand tighter. Heat drips into the skin of Robert’s palm at the touch. Aaron’s hands are always warmer than his own and Robert thinks that it’s just one of the many reasons why he likes doing it so much. Aaron likes to complain about how often Robert grabs his hand but when Aaron squeezes his fingers around Robert’s he knows that Aaron never means it.

They walk along the empty road undisturbed by either students or adults and soon the village comes into view.

Hogsmeade looks like a Christmas card at this time of the year and Robert’s impression is only emphasised by last night’s snow. The little thatched cottages and shops are all covered in a layer of crisp snow and there are holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees. It makes for quite a picture, and despite the fact that Christmas is long over, Robert can almost smell the holiday in the air. He smiles as memories of his last Christmas play over the backs of his eyelids, and when he looks at Aaron he sees the same smile reflected on his lips.

“You still haven’t told me where we’re actually going,” Aaron says as they walk past the first few cottages in the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

“We’re going to Madame Puddifoot’s of course, what did you think?”

“That haunt for happy couples that’s so pink it hurts your eyes?”

“We’re a happy couple, aren’t we?” Robert plays and it’s hard to hide his amusement any longer when Aaron stops in his tracks, scrutinising Robert with a look that’s half suspicious and half angry.

“You’re messing with me, aren’t ya?”

Robert tries to keep a straight face but fails. “As if I’d ever take you to Paddifoot’s, I do know you, Aaron.”

“Yeah, you do,” Aaron says and squeezes Robert’s fingers between his.

“You should have seen your face, though. Makes it worth it every time.”

“Whatever you say,” Aaron huffs. They hold on to each other until they reach the busy main street through Hogsmeade where handholding is inconvenient so Robert reluctantly lets go.

They make their way towards The Three Broomsticks as quickly as possible, weaving through the throngs of people who are hurrying from one shop to another. Robert successfully avoids bumping into anyone and lets out a breath when he grips the handle of the heavy wooden door and pushes it open.

Despite it not being a Hogsmeade weekend for the Hogwarts students, there are quite a lot of people visiting The Three Broomsticks. The place is warm and crowded, if a bit smoky, just like it always is, and it only makes it more welcoming, as if the mirror behind the bar reflects the cozy atmosphere and magnifies it. There’s chatter coming from all corners of the inn, the sweet smell of Butterbeer in the air, the wooden floorboards creaking beneath their shoes.

“You go get a table, I’ll get the drinks in,” Robert says, leaning closer to Aaron’s ear, one hand on the small of Aaron’s back. Aaron nods and leaves, pulling on his gold and crimson scarf, eyes searching. Robert walks up to the bar and orders a Butterbeer for them both. It’s the only thing he’d really planned on getting but he sees a list of ice cream flavours and it might be February but he knows Aaron certainly won’t say no to it. He orders one bowl of Firewhiskey ice cream which is the only flavour Robert and Aaron can ever agree on and asks Rosmerta to bring it to their table.

He grabs his wand out of his pocket and levitates the two foaming tankards so he has to pay less attention to where he’s going as he’s looking for their table. He spots Aaron at a table next to the window at the back end of the pub and weaves his way towards him. Robert sits down on the empty chair in front of Aaron and with a flick of his wand their drinks land on the table right in front of them. They both raise their glasses towards the other in a silent cheer and then take a sip.

“Alright?” Robert asks, but he barely remembers what he just said when Aaron’s tongue darts out to lick the foam off his upper lip. By the smile he gives Robert, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Aaron says, leaning his crossed arms on the table.

“Are you ready for the Quidditch match of all Quidditch matches tomorrow?”

Aaron snorts. “You sound confident.”

“Of course. Slytherin is going to kick Gryffindor down a few notches.”

“We haven’t lost a single match this year.”

“Unfortunately, that will change tomorrow.”

Aaron shakes his head and laughs, taking another sip. After a second Robert speaks again.

“Do you want to go together?”

“After what happened last year? No, thanks.”

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t so bad-“

“Of course it wasn’t so bad for you, you weren’t the one running around with green hair for a week afterwards.”

Robert laughs at that particular memory and it’s enough for Aaron’s slightly angry face to disappear in favour of a bright grin. They both take another sip of their Butterbeer and the chatter from the other punters suddenly sound louder in Robert’s ears than before.

“How’s your sick Salamander doing?” Robert asks after a pause.

Aaron keeps his eyes on Robert and doesn’t immediately reply. It takes another moment before he starts speaking. “Robert, what are we doing here?”

“What d’you mean?”

“Well, there has to be a reason, right? You’re not usually this cryptic about your reasons.”

“Do I really need a reason? You’re my boyfriend and I wanted to take you out, is all.”

“And we couldn’t have just gone to the kitchens or the Astronomy tower because …?”

Robert takes in Aaron’s quizzing look, eyebrows raised, forehead scrunched up, and looks at the lines on the wooden table. He doesn’t know how to explain it, how to explain the urge to just simply spend all of his time with Aaron, how he hopes that this feeling will never go away.

“It snowed last night,” Robert settles on, “and I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“You hate the snow,” Aaron says, expression softer.

“That I do,” Robert says, picking up his Butterbeer, “I don’t hate you, though, do I?”

He takes another swig of beer while never taking his eyes off Aaron. He watches as Aaron’s lips form a soft smile, the corner of his eyes crinkle, and the lines on his forehead disappear.

Madame Rosmerta brings their ice cream to their table and even though it’s the middle of winter Aaron looks delighted about the bowl she places in the middle of their table. They both grab a spoon and dig in. Robert always forgets how good the Firewhiskey flavor tastes in combination with the Butterbeer until he has it again.

“D’you want to walk back through the snow?” Robert asks as he scrapes together the last bit of ice cream.

Aaron looks through the window to his right, as if checking if the snow is still there for him to enjoy, and nods before standing up and putting on his coat and scarf. Robert follows him.

The gush of fresh, cold wind feels like a thousand tiny pinpricks on his face and he has to blink against it, biting his lips. The streets are a lot less crowded than before and the sky is starting to grow darker and darker. It definitely doesn’t feel as if they’ve spent as much time in The Three Broomsticks as they must have. Then again, time spent with Aaron always flies by.

Aaron happily stomps through the snow while Robert sticks to the cleared pavement but he watches Aaron with amusement. The fact that Robert’s eyes are focused on Aaron is the only reason he even sees the snowball coming, even then it’s still a close thing.

Robert huffs indignantly and sees Aaron laughing, arms crossed over his chest.

“You’re going to regret this, Professor Dingle,” Robert warns even though he’s already decided he can’t let this lie. It’s time for revenge.

“Bring it on, Professor Sugden,” Aaron replies already crouching down to scoop up more snow.

Roberts gets two good hits before Aaron retaliates, but Robert is pleased to see that Aaron’s aim is not as accurate as it could be.

Snowballs fly back and forth between them, a lot of them missing their respective targets, but the sound of Aaron’s giggles makes up for that.

His teaching subject of choice may be Potions, but Robert has always been good at Charms as well. He quickly grabs his wand and quicker than he ever could by hand, he magically forms the snow into balls and sends them flying towards Aaron. They all land and Robert hears Aaron’s surprised gasp before he sees it all over his face. Robert can’t help but smirk.

Since whichever unspoken rules they might have had earlier are now seem to have been broken anyway, Aaron doesn’t stick to the Muggle way anymore. Robert makes the mistake of looking around for a decent sized pile of snow when a snowball lands on the back of his head. When he whips around, another one hits him square on the forehead. His hands fly up in an attempt to protect himself. A second later, Robert thinks that while protecting his face might be important, now he can’t see, and that’s much worse.

He takes his hands away and two snowballs hit him in the back of the head in rapid succession.

“Enough,” Robert protest, “enough. You’re going to give me a headache.”

“Do you admit defeat.”

“Never defeat, I suggest a truce.”

They’re not standing very far apart so Robert can perfectly see Aaron’s eyebrow raised in doubt. “Truce,” Robert says, “I promise on Merlin’s beard.”

That seems enough for Aaron who closes the space between them and looks Robert up and down, from head to toe. Robert is sure there is snow all over him.

“Having a snowball fight like this with a granddad like you is only half as fun.”

“Excuse you? Granddad?”

“Yeah, this only lasted like what? Two seconds?” Aaron laughs, brushing the snow out of his hair.

“Oh, I’m so going to get back at you for this,” Robert says, shaking his head.

“So you admit it then you did actually lose it defeated you.”

“It’s a truce, Aaron, nobody loses in a truce.”

Aaron laughs and glances at Robert as they turn to the main road. It’s only a short moment before Robert speaks again.

“Any and all headaches I might get today will all be your fault.”

“As if. You don’t get headaches.”

“It’s your Gryffindors that gave me a very real headache this morning already.”

“What, did you witness someone doing something,” Aaron lifts his hands doing quotation marks, “stupidly brave?”

“Well it was stupid alright.”

“You always say that the people of my house are stupid but-“

“They are! All your visions of bravery and greater good makes you all fundamentally stupid and short -sighted?”

“Right, I forgot that nobody from Slytherin has ever done _anything_. You lot are all innocent.”

“We are!”

Aaron looks at him and tilts his head.

“Okay, maybe a bit of the original philosophy needs some re-thinking,” Robert concedes.

“That’s what I thought,” Aaron replies and starts walking.

The walk back to the castle is quiet around them, the sky going from blue to black at an impressive speed. It’s almost completely dark by the time they reach Hogwarts again, the grounds still covered in mostly untouched white, and Robert can see Aaron’s eyes roam all over it.

They meet the first throng of students just outside of the castle gates, the beams of light from their _Lumos_ spells jumping all over the place and Robert is sure he sees one or two charmed snowballs flying through the air. He almost smirks when he thinks about how they were doing the same thing just ten minutes ago. As soon as Aaron and him get spotted, however, all movements stop and the handful of students look as if they’ve been Petrified. They’re a group of fourth year Ravenclaws and they’re all looking at them with wide eyes. Aaron and him exchange a glance.

“Curfew is in an hour,” Robert says as they continue their way to the castle.

It’s almost funny how quickly the students relax and the smiles return to their faces. They yell goodbye after them and Robert closes the gate with a flick of his wand. It’s not like him to let violations again the house rules go, but he’s out with Aaron and he has little interest in hearing teenagers trying to defend themselves only to end up in detention anyway.

The moon is already out by the time they reach the steps to the castle and they stop, both standing on the bottom step.

“What d’you think about doing something together tonight?”

“We’re both of patrolling duty, Robert.”

“I know,” Robert says, “but we have a dozen of Prefects to patrol the castle.”

“What are you saying?”

“We could just … do something else instead?”

“If you think I’m going to be willing to snog you in an empty class room after what happened last time then you’re off your head.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Just meet me in front of the Great Hall after the Instructions for the Prefects.”

Aaron narrows his eyes at him but he doesn’t look as suspicious as he does intrigued and Robert knows that Aaron will be there.

“Why are you always trying to convince me to neglect our duties?”

“I think you’ll remember telling me last week that our patrolling duties are the most boring thing about our work.”

The corner of Aaron’s mouth quirks up. “I never said that.”

“Sure you haven’t,” Robert laughs.

He looks around to see if any people are close by and when there aren’t, he leans in and kisses Aaron, short and sweet because the front of Hogwarts is not the place for anything longer.

“See you later,” Robert whispers. He rests his forehead against Aaron’s for a second before tearing himself away and walks up the stairs of the castle.

Robert walks back to the dungeons stops at his chambers quickly. Misty is lying on the sofa which gives her the perfect view of the front door and she lifts her head when Robert walks through, promptly jumps down and walks over. He had meant for this to only be a quick stop so he could feed Misty, but she’s brushing against his ankles and looks up with him with pleading eyes and really, Robert doesn’t have much of a choice. He bends down to pick her up and she rubs her head against Robert’s cheek, immediately purring. For a moment, he stands in the middle of the room, eyes closed, and basks in the warm body that seems to be trying to pull closer, her head buried in his neck.

As much as he loves these little moments with Misty, he’s going to be late if he doesn’t leave now, so he runs his hand through her fur one last time before he walks over to the kitchenette and gives Misty her dinner. She makes a displeased sound when Robert sets her down again, but the sight of food quickly placates her. Robert grabs his silver and green scarf and closes the door behind him.

The common room for the Prefects and Head of the Houses is located deeper into the dungeons and Robert hurries along the corridors, navigating through the familiar maze. It’s quiet in the beginning but sounds of conversation become louder the closer he gets to his destination. The door to the room is open and Robert doesn’t waste time with closing it, but jumps straight into assigning the patrolling duties for tonight.

There are no inane questions tonight after Robert stops speaking and he’s even more grateful about it today than he would be any other time. He does not have the patience tonight. There’s no doubt that he causes a couple of puzzled faces when he quickly bids them all goodbye and walks out of the room and back towards the Great Hall.

“You’re late,” Aaron notes as he watches Robert walk up the rest of the stairs.

“I have a demanding cat, haven’t you heard?”

“You say that as if don’t love that thing to bits.”

“She’s not a thing, Aaron. No wonder she still doesn’t like you too much.”

“You know, I could just go back to my room and get comfortable in front of the fireplace.”

“You could do that,” Robert says, trying to look contemplative, “but then you’d miss out on my surprise.”

Aaron shifts his weight and raises an eyebrow. “Surprise? What surprise?”

“You’ll see if you follow me,” Robert replies and points over his shoulder towards the grand entrance.

Aaron still doesn’t look too convinced but his shoulders relax a little, making him look at lot more welcoming to the idea. Robert doesn’t think that Aaron was ever really against it but Aaron likes to mess with him from time to time. He smirks, placing his hand on Aaron’s shoulder, and together they leave the castle.

It’s dark outside, the snow-silky landscape of the castle grounds illuminated by the shine of the almost full moon. The clouds are scattered over the sky, torn apart by moonbeams and the cold, strong wind. Light and delicate snowflakes fall down on both of them and Robert watches as they melt when they land on Aaron’s cheeks. They turn into tiny drops of water that Aaron wipes away with his hand.

The snow crunches beneath their feet as they step outside the castle and their footsteps fall in synch when they make their way over the snow-covered grass. Aaron scowls when the icy breeze plays up and before he can say anything, Robert wordlessly casts a Warming Shield around both of them, shielding them from the wind. Then, Robert whispers a _Lumos_ and keeps his wand low so they don’t draw much attention to themselves in case someone happens to look outside.

Robert throws a glance towards Aaron whose eyes are on the ground, following the light of Robert’s wand, and wearing a look of deep concentration. The expression is endearing in a way Robert can’t explain so he tentatively takes Aaron’s hand and tangles their fingers together. Aaron doesn’t protest, in contrary, the lines on his face soften into sometimes kinder, almost fond. He tightens his fingers around Robert’s and Robert smiles as he focuses his attention back to where they’re going.

They pass the Whomping Willow and walk along the line of evergreen trees marking the beginning of the Forbidden Forest, heading towards the lake. With every step they come closer, the frozen surface glitters softly from the moonlight, illuminating the ice and softening shadows. For a split second, Robert wonders what the giant squid living in the lake is doing right now. Probably hibernating.

Robert finally comes to a stop right by the shoreline of the lake and turns, looking at Aaron, his cheeks rosy and the tip of his nose red since Robert’s Warming Shield might save them from the wind but no spell can change the weather entirely. The flush looks good on Aaron though and Robert tries to keep the smile off his lips as his stomach flutters.

“What are we doing here?” Aaron prompts when Robert doesn’t immediately speak.

“Just wait a moment,” Robert replies, smirking at Aaron’s irritated huff. He carefully steps on the iced surface of the lake, hands stretched out to catch himself just in case. When he is standing a foot away from the shore with both feet, Robert points his wand at his shoes and with a quick spell Robert transforms them into ice skates.

He looks back at Aaron and sees the exact moment that Aaron realizes what’s going on. His eyebrows rise in surprise, lips parting, then a frown settling back on his face as he inhales sharply.

“No,” Aaron says, taking a step back, “not a chance.”

“Come on,” Robert replies, holding out his hand for Aaron to take, “it’ll be fun!”

Aaron opens his mouth to protest further but before he can make a sound Robert is off. He slides along the ice, first backwards to keep his eyes on Aaron, then he turns and circles the ice in wide strides. He hasn’t done this in a while and the familiar feeling of the smooth ice beneath his feet is exciting, the wind picking up from his movements and rushing over his cheeks. Robert keeps going for a handful of moments before he comes to a halt in front of a nervous-looking Aaron.

Robert looks at him, unable to keep the grin off his face, and raises his eyebrow expectantly. Aaron bites his lip before he starts speaking.

“I don’t – “ he says, waiving his hands towards the lake, “I don’t know how to skate.”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

Aaron bites his lip and looks at his feet, embarrassed. It’s the last thing Robert wants him to feel, so he slides a little closer, hand still outstretched, and looks Aaron in the eyes.

“Come on then, I’ll teach you,” Robert says, softer than before.

Aaron meets his eyes briefly, then drops his eyes and looks at Robert’s hand skeptically. Waiting, Robert watches as Aaron takes a deep breath to steady himself and grips Robert’s hand before stepping on the ice. With his free hand, Robert reaches for the wand in his back pocket, transforms Aaron’s shoes as well and tucks his wand away again safely.

Robert curls his fingers more firmly around Aaron’s hand when he finally moves one foot on the ice. There’s a look of surprise on Aaron’s face and Robert guesses it has to do with how surprisingly slippery the hard ice can be like this. Robert widens his stance a bit so he’s standing more securely in case Aaron falls over but he knows if Aaron really loses his balance or trips, there’s little he can do against it. He just hopes it won’t come to it.

When Aaron seems to stand on the ice as securely as he can, he looks up at Robert. The first thing Robert thinks is that the red scarf around Aaron’s neck somehow manages to compliment the colour of his eyes, the moonlight pointing it out even more than usual and drawing Robert’s attention like a moth to a flame. Their eyes meet and Robert realises that they’re practically holding hands, the thought warming his chest in his favourite way. Aaron doesn’t object but stares at Robert – long enough that he starts to feel Aaron’s gaze in his stomach.

“What?” Robert asks.

Aaron clears his throat before speaking. “You said you’d teach me.”

“Right,” Robert says, expression growing more serious, “it’s really easy once you get the hang of it. Here, I’ll show you.”

Robert grabs Aaron’s other hand as well and slowly starts skating backwards, pulling Aaron along. Apparently, it isn’t slowly enough because Aaron loses his balance and the only thing keeping him from falling over is the death grip he has on Robert’s hands. Robert stops and comes to a halt. He tries to fight it but the chuckle that bubbles up in his chest breaks free at the expression on Aaron’s face.

“You’re such a wind-up,” Aaron grumbles, but a corner of his mouth pulls up.

“Sorry,” Robert laughs. “Look, just move your feet in diagonal lines. Like this.”

Robert demonstrates how and Aaron only hesitates for a second before he mimics Robert’s movements. His feet look unsteady at first, as if Aaron is experiencing an earthquake only he can feel while his hands grip Robert’s like a lifeline, but slowly and surely he gets better. Aaron gets used to moving along the ice, his legs not trembling anymore, his body coordination and muscles learning how to move. He even starts to pick up a little speed on his own accord, a grin spreading on his face that Robert isn’t quite sure Aaron is aware of. Robert knows the feeling, it’s exhilarating in the same way that flying is, a new skill that Aaron masters quicker than he’d expected.

After a few more strides it seems that Aaron grows too enthusiastic at his success. With the next glide, the front of his right foot hits the back of his left one and Aaron wobbles dangerously, legs and arms flailing wildly, his body leaning forward and he almost bumps his head against Robert’s. On instinct, Robert lets go of Aaron’s hands and wraps his arms around him, steadying both of them. He feels Aaron’s breath ghost over his neck.

“I got you,” Robert whispers right next to Aaron’s ear and digs his fingers deeper into Aaron’s coat. The emphasis of his words with his hands isn’t entirely intentional but Robert still keeps holding on and nuzzles his nose into Aaron’s neck.

The moment feels serene almost, the wind less intense and biting than before, soft white snowflakes whirring around, the moon bright enough for them to see each other clearly.

Robert pulls his head back so he can look at Aaron, their faces close enough that their noses are barely separated. Robert feels Aaron’s pull as if it’s a physical thing, a force that tugs on every inch of Robert’s skin, always pulling him in Aaron’s direction no matter what he does. When their eyes meet, everything around them feels different, feels delicate, feels intense.

He doesn’t really know which one of them leans in first, but one moment to the next, the little remaining distance between them vanishes and their lips touch. Their kiss is tentative and chaste, something barely there before it’s gone again, and it’s so entirely different from their usual kisses that it leaves his lips tingling, sending a shiver down his neck. Robert lifts his hand and rests it on the back of Aaron’s head pulling him in when their lips connect again, the touch firmer than before but just as sentimental, warming Robert’s chest. The contact is more satisfying, more pressure, a deeper connection, a bigger revelation.

Robert doesn’t know how long they stand there on the ice, kissing and forgetting the world around them, but he can’t bring himself to worry about being seen or losing time when Aaron runs his tongue along his bottom lip and then bites it gently. Robert moans involuntarily and almost embarrassingly loud. He presses his body even closer against Aaron’s in response, stifling his sounds against Aaron’s lips. He feels desperate with the urge, that need, to be as close as possible, to crawl into Aaron and never leave.

Aaron breaks the kiss and his warm breath ghosts over Robert’s face. They’re both simply standing there, breathing heavily and staring at the other. Robert raises his hand and cups Aaron’s cheek, thumb brushing away a stray tear from the cold.

“We should go inside,” Robert says. It comes out as whisper because somehow anything louder feels too big for the here and now.

“Yeah,” Aaron whispers back and leans forward so their foreheads touch.

They transform their skates back into shoes and soon end up in Robert’s chambers. Misty looks at them from her seat on the sofa and Robert greets her with some scratches behind her ear before taking off his coat and scarf and shoes. When he’s done hanging up his coat he turns back towards where Aaron was standing with the intention to ask what he wants to do, but he stops in his tracks. Aaron is sitting on the floor in front of the sofa and staring at Misty with a look of pure concentration as if he’s trying to break a curse on an ancient treasure chest.

“What are you doing?” Robert asks, walking into Aaron’s line of vision.

“Trying to figure out what your cat’s deal is.”

“What her deal is? What, you think she’s got some hidden agenda?”

“Robert, I’m usually quite good with animals in case you haven’t noticed but she just … won’t really warm up to me.”

Robert sits down on the sofa next to Misty who barely lifts her head, but her tail starts brushing against Robert’s thigh. “Just give her time. That’s how I did it. We weren’t this cozy with each other in the beginning either, you know?”

Aaron nods. “Are you sure she’s not an animagus, though? She seems too … human to me.”

Robert lets out a short laugh, not because the thought is so absurd, but he regularly asks himself the same thing. “She’s not, Aaron, she’s just … possessive.”

Aaron nods again and looks back at Misty who’s licking her paws clean. Robert watches as Aaron tentatively reaches out his hand so Misty can smell him. She does, but doesn’t do anything else to encourage him, and Aaron pulls his hand back again, eyebrows scrunched together. It almost makes Robert want to have a serious word with his cat.

“I’m gonna go for a shower, you wanna join me?” Robert asks, going for distraction.

“Yeah, go ahead I’ll be right in.”

He doesn’t close the door of the bathroom behind him but leaves it open an inch or two and takes off his close, placing his wand on the shelf beneath the mirror. If Robert waits with climbing into the shower because he hopes that Aaron will show up any second and Robert will get to undress him, then that’s nobody’s business. For some reason it takes Aaron long enough to get there that Robert starts to run out of patience and when the first sweep of goosebumps races over his left forearm because he forgot to put on a heating charm in the bathroom, he finally climbs in.

Robert finishes his shower without Aaron ever walking through the door into the bathroom and he can’t help that little nag of worry that starts digging at him. He doesn’t think Aaron would just leave without saying anything but he can’t help the thought. He doesn’t think he did or said anything that could have caused it either no matter how much he thinks the day over.

He takes his wand and dries his skin and hair with a drying spell before putting on boxers and opening the door of the bathroom.

The picture that greets him is definitely not one he expects. Aaron is lying on the sofa, facing the short corridor that leads to the bathroom, looking fast asleep. Misty is curled up in front of him, her eyes focused on Aaron’s face as if she’s keeping watch over him. She meows quietly when Robert approaches them and glances over at him before going back to watching Aaron.

Robert smiles and feels warm in way no heating charm could ever make him feel.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, comments and kudos are appreciated! [softrobertsugden.tumblr.com](http://softrobertsugden.tumblr.com)


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